an introduction to group communication

An Introduction to Group Communication v 0.0 This is the book An Introduction to Group Communication (v 0.0) This book is licensed under a Creative Commons by-nc-sa 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/ 3.0/) license See the license for more details, but that basically means you can share this book as long as you credit the author (but see below), don't make money from it, and make it available to everyone else under the same terms This book was accessible as of December 29, 2012, and it was downloaded then by Andy Schmitz (http://lardbucket.org) in an effort to preserve the availability of this book Normally, the author and publisher would be credited here However, the publisher has asked for the customary Creative Commons attribution to the original publisher, authors, title, and book URI to be removed Additionally, per the publisher's request, their name has been removed in some passages More information is available on this project's attribution page (http://2012books.lardbucket.org/attribution.html?utm_source=header) For more information on the source of this book, or why it is available for free, please see the project's home page (http://2012books.lardbucket.org/) You can browse or download additional books there ii Table of Contents About the Authors Preface Chapter 1: Introducing Group Communication Why Study Group Communication? What Is Communication? 12 Communication in Context 22 Advantages and Disadvantages of Working in Groups 27 Group Communication and Social Media 34 Chapter 2: Group Communication Theory 42 What Is a Group? 44 Group Life Cycles and Member Roles 50 Why Communicate in Groups? 60 What Is a Theory? 66 Group Communication Theory 71 Chapter 3: Group Development 77 Group Life Cycles 79 The Life Cycle of Member Roles 89 Why People Join Groups 93 Social Penetration Theory 96 Group Norms 104 Summary 109 Chapter 4: Group Membership 111 Introducing Member Roles 113 Norms among Group Members 119 Status 126 Trust 131 Membership in Digital Groups 137 Summary 143 iii Chapter 5: Intercultural and International Group Communication 146 Intercultural Communication 150 How to Understand Intercultural Communication 154 Common Cultural Characteristics 159 Divergent Cultural Characteristics 165 International Communication and the Global Marketplace 173 Styles of Management 180 The International Assignment 183 Summary 190 Chapter 6: Improving Verbal and Nonverbal Group Interactions 192 Principles of Verbal Communication 197 Language Can Be an Obstacle to Communication 204 Improving Verbal Communication 210 Principles of Nonverbal Communication 216 Types of Nonverbal Communication 225 Summary 235 Chapter 7: Listening in Groups 238 Listening to Understand 243 Types of Listening 246 Group Members and Listening 253 Strategies to Improve Listening in Groups 258 Summary 264 Chapter 8: Group Leadership 267 What is Leadership? 269 Leadership Theories 273 Becoming a Leader 282 Teamwork and Leadership 290 Diverse Forms of Leadership 295 Summary 302 Chapter 9: Group Motivation 306 Group Motivation and Collaboration 309 Role of Motivation 313 Effective Motivation Strategies 319 Effective Collaboration Strategies 324 Feedback and Assessment 329 Summary 334 iv Chapter 10: Managing Conflict 338 What Is Conflict? 340 Leadership and Conflict 347 Conflict Is Normal 354 Conflict Styles 359 Conflict in the Work Environment 368 Effective Conflict Management Strategies 376 Crisis Communication Plan 384 Summary 388 Chapter 11: Groups and Problem-Solving 391 Group Problem-Solving 392 Group Decision-Making 400 Effective Strategies for Group Creativity 412 Facilitating the Task-Oriented Group 421 Summary 428 Chapter 12: Groups and Meetings 431 Planning a Meeting 435 Facilitating a Meeting 444 A Brief Introduction to Robert’s Rules of Order 453 Post Meeting Communication and Minutes 461 Summary 467 Appendix A: Assessment of a Student’s Campus/Community Participation 470 Appendix B: Critique of Formal Campus or Community Gathering 472 v About the Authors PLEASE NOTE: This book is currently in draft form; material is not final Phil Venditti has taught communication since 2003 at Clover Park Technical College in Lakewood, Washington He serves as president of the Washington Faculty Association of Community and Technical Colleges and is a two-time grantee and course developer within the Open Course Library sponsored by the Washington State Legislature and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation A lover of the arts, he hosts a classical music program each week on Northwest Public Radio which is broadcast to an audience in Greater Seattle and throughout a three-state area Prior to becoming a faculty member, he performed administrative roles in two- and fouryear colleges around the United States and founded an international education institute He earned a doctorate from the Community College Leadership Program at the University of Texas at Austin and has other degrees from the School for International Training, the University of Colorado, and the University of Tennessee He and his Korean-born wife, whom he met as a Peace Corps volunteer in her country in 1977, live in University Place, Washington, and have two wonderful grown daughters Scott McLean is an Associate Professor of Communication at Arizona Western College on a combined campus with the University of Arizona and Northern Arizona University–Yuma, since 1999 He was the 2007–2011 Shadle Edgecombe Endowed Faculty Chair Scott is the author of The Basics of Speech Communication, The Basics of Interpersonal Communication, and The Basics of Communication Studies, currently published by Pearson Education He is also the author of Business Communication for Success, Business English for Success, and Writing for Success by Unnamed Publisher Beyond his classroom experience, Scott regularly serves as a communication advisor to business and industry He has served as an evaluator for the United States National Institutes of Health’s Small Business and Innovative Research (SBIR) program since 1995 He served as an evaluator of educational programs for the Ministerio de Hacienda de Chile in 1998 Scott studied at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile and at Washington State University’s Edward R Murrow School of Communication He and his family divide their time between the United States and Puerto Montt, Chile Preface PLEASE NOTE: This book is currently in draft form; material is not final Summary Exploring Group Communication offers a practical introduction to the theory and practice of group communication, with an emphasis on real world applications to develop an awareness, understanding, and skills to effectively participate as a productive group member Through a clear and concise approach to group decision-making and dynamics in teams and leadership, students are presented with the tools needed to create plans, find solutions to problems, produce goods or deliver services, and evaluate their performance through self and peer assessments Thank you for reading Exploring Group Communication! We’ve both taught the group communication course for several years and never found a text that was just right until now: we can each use different versions of this text in our courses! With a solid introduction to group communication combined with Unnamed Publisher’s mix and match flexibility, this text can be what you want it to be Groups and teams are an important part of our daily lives They are important to our personal and professional success Learning ways to be a productive group member, within our families, church, work, or community, make a significant difference From schools to hospitals, colleges and universities, businesses and government, everyone has come to recognize the importance of effective, collaborative groups and teams This text is all about providing you with a solid foundation for success! Exploring Group Communication starts each chapter with introductory exercises that involve experiential and self-reflection activities to spark curiosity Chapter Preface previews introduce each section followed by discussions and additional activities that provide opportunities for skill mastery, increased awareness, and a better understanding of group communication Key words are clearly indicated, and the organizational structure of each section is designed to make them easy and fun to read Sections conclude with takeaway main points, exercises, and references Based on extensive feedback from previous texts in the discipline of Communication, this text is written in a clear, concise and engaging way Key terms are defined in the same paragraph Figures, diagrams, and images reinforce the written word Learning units are presented in ways that are easy to grasp the first time you read them The book’s unique points include a chapter on group conflict and meetings and several innovative, optional assignments which instructors may use to have their students participate in real-world group activities An On-/Off-Campus Student Involvement Project, for instance, permits whole classes to participate in and assess campus committee and advisory group meetings This text and its resources are designed to extend learning beyond the traditional walls of the classroom This text provides a solid foundation in group communication and incorporates the many resources available online, including self-assessments, to expand the discussion and explore each topic With our “available from Day 1” online access, this text is an immediate resource for both instructors and students, and is perfect for hybrid and online classes We welcome you to this introduction to group communication text and would like to extend an offer: partner with us! This text is a labor of love and is available free online to everyone If you perceive an extra section or chapter would make this text useful to you and your students, please consider contributing it! The Make-It-YourOwn (MIYO) tool allows this text to be adapted quickly and efficiently, but requires us to take the first step With this text we have taken several steps toward developing a comprehensive collection of learning units and sections organized into a positive, productive textbook on group communication Your additions, from exercises to areas of emphasis, make this project more useful and rewarding for us all Thank you for reading Exploring Group Communication and we hope you will make it your own Phil and Scott Chapter Introducing Group Communication PLEASE NOTE: This book is currently in draft form; material is not final INTRODUCTORY EXERCISES Think of five words that express what you want to and where you want to be five years from now Share your five words with your classmates and listen to their responses What patterns you observe in the responses? Write a paragraph that addresses at least one observation With the results of our introductory exercises #1 in mind, please list what you can and where you could be in five years without support, interaction, or collaboration with anyone other than yourself Share and compare your results with classmates Create a list of at least 10 groups to which you belong Family, church, friends or clubs, online groups, and even this class count! Share and compare your results with classmates “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.” - Margaret Mead Getting Started PLEASE NOTE: This book is currently in draft form; material is not final Chapter Introducing Group Communication Communication is an activity, skill, and art that incorporates lessons learned across a wide spectrum of human knowledge Perhaps the most time-honored form of communication is storytelling We’ve told each other stories for ages to help make sense of our world, anticipate the future, and certainly to entertain ourselves We gather around in groups and hear or see stories that say something about our world, our community, who we are How did we learn the stories we tell each other? From each other Groups and teams come together to create amazing movies Artists gather together to produce songs that inspire us People, effectively working together, can the impossible Telling a story to your friends or peers draws on your understanding of yourself, your message, and how you communicate it to a group that is simultaneously communicating back to you They respond to your story, perhaps tell a few of their own, and you feel like you are in a group You are an individual, and a member of the group, at the same time You are a member of many groups Knowing how to communicate effectively as a member of a team or in a group is key to your success You were not born knowing how to write, or even how to talk—but in the process of growing up you have probably learned something about how to tell, and how not tell, a story When people stand around and want to know what comes next you know you have their attention They are as much a part of the story as you are When everyone is involved and listening or participating, it is a fun experience You didn’t learn to text in a day, and didn’t learn all the codes, from LOL (Laugh Out Loud) to BRB (Be Right Back), right away In the same way, learning to communicate well requires you to read and study how others have expressed themselves, then to adapt what you have learned to your present task, whether it is texting a brief message to a friend, presenting your qualifications in a job interview, or making a sales presentation You come to this text with skills and an understanding that will provide a valuable foundation as we explore group communication Effective communication, in all its many forms, takes preparation, practice, and persistence There are many ways to learn communication skills; the school of experience, or “hard knocks,” is one of them But in the real world, a “knock” (or lesson learned) may come at the expense of your credibility through a blown presentation to a client The classroom environment, with a compilation of information and resources such as a text, can offer you a trial run where you get to try out new ideas and skills before you have to use them to communicate effectively to make a sale, motivate your team members, or form a new partnership Listening to yourself, or perhaps the comments of others, may help you reflect on new ways to present, or perceive, thoughts, ideas and concepts The net result is your growth; ultimately your ability to communicate in teams and groups will improve, opening more doors than you might anticipate Chapter 12 Groups and Meetings EXERCISES Watch a broadcast on C-SPAN television of either the opening of a session of the US House of Representatives or of debate on legislation in the House or Senate What specialized terms or forms of address did you hear which fit with your understanding of Robert’s Rules of Order? What function did those terms or forms of address fulfill? Locate a meeting agenda for a student group or employee committee on your campus To what degree its contents differ from the simplified standard order of business described in this section? Why you think the organizers of the meeting modified the standard order as they did? Draft an agenda for a meeting of an imaginary student group and share it with 2–3 fellow students Explain why you structured your agenda the way you did 12.3 A Brief Introduction to Robert’s Rules of Order 460 Chapter 12 Groups and Meetings 12.4 Post Meeting Communication and Minutes PLEASE NOTE: This book is currently in draft form; material is not final LEARNING OBJECTIVES Identify a tool for recording and preserving notes of professional group conversations Acquire a format for minutes which emphasizes actions taken by a group and the people assigned to accomplish them Identify three ways in which a good group leader should follow up on meetings of the group Bookends hold books up Without them, the books tumble onto each other or off the shelf The “bookends” of a meeting, likewise, are as important as the meeting itself Without them, nobody knows beforehand what’s going to happen or remembers afterward what did We’ve discussed the first major bookend of a meeting, its agenda In this section we’ll turn our attention to the kinds of bookends that follow a meeting, including principally its minutes One Administrative Tool A college administrator we know developed a form to give people after any conversation they had in his office, much less a formal meeting He would take notes on the form of what he and the other people in the conversation said, and especially of what they agreed or disagreed on at the end of their meeting Then he would share the notes with the other people, make a photocopy for each, and have them all initial their copies Why? Because the administrator knew that busy people may quickly forget exactly what they decided in a conversation, or even what they talked about, unless they keep a shared record of what happened Whether we like or believe it or not, our individual impressions of a meeting start changing and diverging the moment we leave the site As one business writer noted, “Even with the ubiquitous tools of organization and sharing ideas…the capacity for 461 Chapter 12 Groups and Meetings misunderstanding is unlimited.”Matson, E (1996, April-May) The seven sins of deadly meetings Fast Company, 122 The Why and How of Minutes Among the exasperating experiences in group meetings are moments when people say, “We talked about this before—at least twice Why are we going over the same ground again?” There are also those times when we hear, “John, you were supposed to report on this What’s your report?” and John replies, “But I didn’t know I was supposed to make a report.” The best way to prevent such deflating episodes is to follow up after each meeting with good records Here are two ways to this: Keep ironclad minutes One college in Washington State has used this template for many years to shape and retain minutes of its academic committee meetings: Date/time/location of meeting: 12.4 Post Meeting Communication and Minutes 462 Chapter 12 Groups and Meetings Purpose/goals of meeting: Person presiding: Officers in Attendance: Other members in attendance: Members absent: Table 12.1 Agenda Template Agenda Item Discussion/Motions Action Taken Minutes Approved as printed Agenda Approved as disseminated 5/29/2013 John Smith reported that the ceiling Roof in the staff washroom leaks Motion problem by Mary Jones to have the ceiling repaired; motion passed Plant/ Maintenance will be asked to patch the leak Follow-Up John Smith will contact Jane Doe, head of Plant/ Maintenance, by 6/15 to schedule repair Time of adjournment: Date/time/place of next meeting: Notice that this style of minutes lacks extensive text and “he said/she said” descriptions 12.4 Post Meeting Communication and Minutes 463 Chapter 12 Groups and Meetings Instead, it makes crystal clear who’s responsible for what actions prior to the next meeting Its contents are brief, easy to read, and very difficult to misinterpret (or evade) It promotes action and accountability Distribute minutes promptly When and how you disseminate minutes shows whether and how much you care about what your group does If your group has bylaws, it may be a good idea for them to include a time frame within which minutes of meetings need to be distributed (such as “within five days”) 12.4 Post Meeting Communication and Minutes 464 Chapter 12 Groups and Meetings Make sure your mailing list of people to receive minutes is up to date and accurate This will ensure that no one misses the next meeting because he or she didn’t see when and where it was scheduled to take place Sloppy minutes degrade the value of the work and time people invest together They can also weaken a group’s morale Professional minutes, on the other hand, may even make people who weren’t at a meeting wish they had been—although that’s perhaps asking a lot, unless you served pizza!—and can strengthen your group’s pride and solidarity What Else? If you’re the leader of the group, making sure that minutes are prepared and distributed well is only one step toward increasing the likelihood that your meetings will achieve their full potential of transmitting discussions into plans and plans into action You should three other things after a meeting First, you should contact group members who were identified in the minutes as being responsible for follow-up action See if they need information, resources, or other help to follow through on their assignments If a committee or subcommittee was asked to take action on some point, get in touch with whoever heads it and offer to provide materials or other support that may be needed to accomplish its work Second, you should set a positive example Take a few minutes to reflect on how effective you were in facilitating the last meeting and ask yourself what you might change at the next one Be sure, too, to implement any decisions in a timely fashion that you as the leader were given Third, you should make sure that the minutes of your group’s meetings are stored in secure form, either physically or digitally or both, so that they are available to both you and other group members at any time Your group’s institutional memory24, which is the foundation for future members to build upon, needs to be tended regularly and diligently When in doubt, it’s better to hold onto information and documentation related to your group Discarding something because you think to yourself “nobody will forget this” may very well turn out to be a mistake 24 Shared remembrances among members of a group, which may or may not be recorded in physical form, of the group’s past Observing these suggestions may not make the experiences associated with following up on group meetings heavenly, but it might at least keep them from being too hellish 12.4 Post Meeting Communication and Minutes 465 Chapter 12 Groups and Meetings KEY TAKEAWAY • After a group meets, its leader should ensure that professional minutes are disseminated and that other members of the group follow through with their responsibilities EXERCISES Pay special attention to conversations you carry on over the next several days in school and at home Pick one of them and write simulated minutes according to the format shown in this section What did you learn from this process about distilling and summarizing information from oral interactions? Locate a website of an academic, business, or civic organization which includes minutes of a recent meeting by some of its members Identify portions of the minutes that you feel would enable you as a member of the group to adequately understand an important action taken by the group if you were unable to attend the meeting If you were part of the group, what improvements would you make in the format of its minutes to further enhance their effectiveness? 12.4 Post Meeting Communication and Minutes 466 Chapter 12 Groups and Meetings 12.5 Summary PLEASE NOTE: This book is currently in draft form; material is not final In this chapter we have reviewed mechanisms and approaches to handling meetings We have explored the purposes of meetings and discovered that alternatives to meetings can often yield satisfactory results within a group We have reviewed specific steps in planning, facilitating, and following up after meetings, including the use of Robert’s Rules of Order Meetings play a large role in the life and development of most groups, so acquiring tools for putting meetings to the best possible use can be of great value to their members 467 Chapter 12 Groups and Meetings REVIEW QUESTIONS Interpretive Questions Search the website of the Congressional Record at http://thomas.loc.gov/home/LegislativeData.php?&n=Record&c=111 for a legislative topic of your choice and locate 3–4 transcriptions of comments entered into the Record concerning it What terminology or structure you see in the text which differs from day-to-day conversational norms? What purposes you believe these communication features might be intended to serve? If you’ve participate in a virtual meeting which reached a decision of some sort, what elements of the medium you feel contributed positively to making the decision? What elements, if any, made it more challenging for you to achieve your aims? Application Questions Think of a problem at your college that you and some of your fellow students feel needs to be addressed Imagine that you’ve been told you have two weeks to present a proposal to the president of the college for remedying the problem Draft an agenda for as many meetings as you feel would be necessary to involve the proper people in confronting the problem Describe how the meetings would take place, including what rules you would follow, who would be invited, and what specific items would be dealt with in what sequence Review the minutes of 3–4 recent meetings of a local governmental agency such as a city council or parks commission What portion of the text in each set of minutes, if any, you feel could be eliminated without diminishing the effectiveness of the documents as records of the meetings? Write up a revised version of one of the sets of minutes which most efficiently conveys what was important in the meeting Additional Resources Books and Articles Mosvick, R.K., & Nelson, R.B (1996) A guide to successful meeting management Indianapolis, IN: Park Avenue Includes information about business meetings, along with suggestions on how to improve them 12.5 Summary 468 Chapter 12 Groups and Meetings Silberman, M (1999) 101 ways to make your meetings active San Francisco: JosseyBass Provides fun activities and exercises to help prepare people to conduct meetings effectively Streibel, B.J (2003) The manager’s guide to effective meetings New York: McGraw-Hill Includes advice on conducting virtual meetings, as well as useful examples and checklists related to meeting management Facilitation at a Glance; Ingred Bens A wonderful pocket guide to facilitation, filled with tools and techniques useful to both novice and advanced facilitators Great set of tools for problem solving Facilitator's Guide to Participatory Decision-Making; Sam Kaner An excellent resource for ideas on facilitation, with a focus on decision-making tools and techniques The book includes excellent illustrations, which can be reproduced to help explain facilitation concepts to others Other Meeting Design and Facilitation Resources The International Association of Facilitators (IAF) The IAF promotes, supports and advances the art and practice of professional facilitation through methods exchange, professional growth, practical research, collegial networking and support services Interaction Associates Interaction Associates is the creator and distributor of the Mastering Meetings: Tools for Collaborative Action and Essential Facilitation classes which MIT is licensed to teach The Tips and Techniques section at their Web site is particularly useful 12.5 Summary 469 Chapter 12 Groups and Meetings 12.6 Appendix A: Assessment of a Student’s Campus/Community Participation PLEASE NOTE: This book is currently in draft form; material is not final Dear Fellow College Employee: Thank you very much for taking the time to assist a student in learning about the nature and functions of groups in our college and community Please assess the student’s behavior candidly so s/he and I can make future student/employee encounters more positive and productive Please return this form to the student so that s/he can learn from your comments Again, thank you for your assistance! STUDENT’S NAME: TWO ACTIVITIES YOU ATTENDED: Please place an “X” on the following scales to show your evaluation of the student’s behavior before, during, and after the interactions you’ve had with him/her: The student approached me in a polite and courteous manner Strongly Disagree | | | | | | Strongly Agree The student explained the purpose of our prospective interaction well Strongly Disagree | | | | | | Strongly Agree The student’s questions were clear and easy to understand Strongly Disagree | | | | | | Strongly Agree The student thanked me appropriately for my time and assistance 470 Chapter 12 Groups and Meetings Strongly Disagree | | | | | | Strongly Agree What could the student in future interactions with college staff, faculty, and administrators to increase his/her professionalism, clarity, or courtesy? Your name: (Phone): _ For Students: Description of Interactions with a Faculty/Staff/ Administrative Employee Contact How did you first contact the college employee? (i.e., by phone? face to face? by e-mail?) How did the person respond when you contacted him/her? What two activities did you participate in with the employee? Name/nature of activity #1: Date and time: _ Name/nature of activity #2: Date and time: _ What actions did your Employee Contact take to help you prepare for your experiences together? What might have made the activities with your Employee Contact more educational for you? Check and explain how your experience with the Employee Contact helped you in the following areas: Yes No Comments/ Explanations I learned more about how our college functions I learned how to act professionally in a business/ educational/community organization I met people who may help me in my future schooling I met people who may help me in my future career I learned these other things from my experiences: 12.6 Appendix A: Assessment of a Student’s Campus/Community Participation 471 Chapter 12 Groups and Meetings 12.7 Appendix B: Critique of Formal Campus or Community Gathering PLEASE NOTE: This book is currently in draft form; material is not final STUDENT’S NAME: Date: I attended a meeting/event of this group: on this date: _ at this location: from _ a.m./p.m to _ a.m./p.m My Employee Contact was: (Phone): _ The subject of the meeting/event was: The purpose of the meeting/event was: Name of the person leading the meeting/event: The person’s title within the group (e.g., president, chair, etc.): The person’s title at our college: At what time was the meeting/event scheduled to begin? 472 Chapter 12 Groups and Meetings At what time did the meeting/event begin? At what time was the meeting/event scheduled to end? At what time did the meeting/event end? Was an agenda used at the meeting/event? YES NO [If an agenda was used, please attach a copy to this form] How many people attended the meeting/event? What main topic(s) was/were discussed at the meeting/event? If the group made any decisions, please list them here: What method(s) did the group use to make its decision(s)?: Voice vote Written voting Consensus (“We all agree that XYZ”) Other: Unsure of method What particularly effective words, actions, stories, examples, or arguments stick in your mind from the event/activity? Please place an “X” on the following scales to show your evaluation of the meeting/ event: 12.7 Appendix B: Critique of Formal Campus or Community Gathering 473 Chapter 12 Groups and Meetings Boring | | | | | | Fascinating Chaotic | | | | | || Well-Organized Unintelligible | | | | | | Clear / Easy to Understand Routine | | | | | | Controversial The event/activity could have been improved by This is what I learned from the meeting/event that will make me a better student, employee, or citizen: Other comments about the meeting/event: 12.7 Appendix B: Critique of Formal Campus or Community Gathering 474